My brother was going through
some boxes that my mother left behind after her death, and he came across a
report card from my first year in school. I was seven years old and attending
The Community School in Amman, Jordan, which was a private school for
English-speaking students.
It’s amazing how closely
that progress report matches up with my subsequent life. For example, “Her
reading is very good. She is eager to read and devours any book given to her.” Or,
when discussing mathematics, “Very good & quick. She can now do addition,
subtraction & multiplication sums without difficulty. She finds problems
easy to solve.” English and math were always my strongest subjects, and I am
still devouring books.
Then there were those
subjects that weren’t my strengths then and still aren’t today. The progress
report doesn’t give grades, and Mrs. Palmer was good at wording things diplomatically.
For example, here is the comment on geography. “This new subject does not yet
mean much to her.” And in spite of being a world traveler, it still doesn’t. (I
am better with those places I have actually visited, however.)
Or here is what she said
about handwriting and spelling, which were always my worst subjects and the
only ones I ever got Ds in during elementary and high school. “She has tried
very hard with her writing and has made satisfactory progress. The letters are
now formed more evenly. Textbook work good. She has made a good start in
spelling.”
Some things do change, of
course. Consider these comments: “All her oral work is hampered with shyness”
and “she is still somewhat nervous and shy with adults.” I’m still an
introvert, but I’ve worked very hard to overcome my shyness. Many of my acquaintances
would be surprised to learn that it was ever one of my major characteristics.
The other big difference
is that I wasn’t writing stories back then. But I have always had a vivid imagination,
so I may have made them up in my mind.
The point I’m trying to
make is that our early years often predict our later ones. And I hope that Mrs.
Palmer’s final comments are still true today.
“Kathryn is a helpful
little girl. She is always eager to learn & has made good progress in all
her work.”
I’d be happy to leave
that as my legacy.
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